Steve Smith’s comfort level with the Ravens is obviously growing. He had an outstanding preseason performance Saturday against Washington – six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. With each game, Smith is learning more about Gary Kubiak’s offense. And in the locker room, Smith has become relaxed enough to tease quarterback Joe Flacco.

“I make fun of him a lot,” Smith said of Flacco. “I’ve got his walk down pat.”

Playing wide receiver is another thing that Smith has down pat. At age 35, and in his first season with the Ravens, Smith makes no bones about his desire to prove his worth. Until Saturday, Smith had not been satisfied with his preseason performance. Listen to this quote, talking about playing with Flacco.

“As far as Joe, he is a Super Bowl MVP quarterback, and with him, I just have to do my job and make things easy for him,” Smith said. “I am the one who has to raise my level of play and get on the same page with him. He is doing a great job, and he is being very patient with me. I need to continue to do a better job, and today was a great opportunity to do that. Last week, I really didn’t play well. I didn’t line up well, and my assignments were off. Today was a great opportunity to show that I can be an asset, instead of the liability I was last week.”

Smith is unlikely to play in the preseason finale against the Saints. But after Saturday, Smith has left little doubt about his readiness for the regular season.